At the end of August 2007, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings visited Chile and Brazil to encourage high school students in those countries to consider applying for admission to U.S. colleges and universities. She and other U.S. officials made similar trips to India and China during the past year. While this element of the immigration policy debate has attracted less attention than border fences, factory raids and arguments over the meaning of "amnesty," Spellings' visits remind us of the (sometimes overlooked) impact of international students on the U.S economy.

In this post we discuss how international students contribute to the U.S. and local economies – briefly review the recent decline in international student enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities – highlight trends in international student enrollment in New York City institutions – and suggest some ways in which the decline in international student enrollment might be reversed.

We invite your comments, and your suggestions about how the U.S., the country's colleges and universities, and state and local officials should deal with this issue.